17 Best Foods to Eat and Avoid before an Interview

Getting up and having the routine heavy breakfast is in to do list of every individual. Indeed, everyone enjoys that too, but the heavy morning delicacies makes one feel sleepy and kills the mental alertness. You can eat whatever you wish to, on the casual routines, but be aware of what to eat before going for an interview as the food you eat does make a difference at your final performance.

7 Foods to Eat before an Interview:

What you eat is reflected in your behavior and the stance you acquire. This is because when you eat something heavy and non-digestable, you feel lazy and doing like nothing. So, it is advisable to eat something healthy, light and easy to digest because one feels anxious before the interview and that may sometimes result in awkward feeling. So, to avoid that and feel good, confident, better to relish some healthy eatables like:

1. Eat protein for energy:

The breakfast on your interview day must contain some essential proteins like vitamins, carbohydrates, etc. for these to consume, one will have to reach out to the eggs, milk, and whole grain biscuits, yoghurt etc. these should be eaten as these are light and does not make you feel heavy or stressed. It is important to feel as light as air before going for an interview.

2. You can go for whole grain biscuits:

The biscuits are best to have before you go for an interview. This is because, they are light. The biscuits can easily be digested and also you feel good and lite. One feels confident as by the consumption of biscuits, one does not feel sleepy and remains fresh the whole day long.

3. Why not fruits?:

Do not abandon fruits at all. They are the natural eatable to be galloped. The fruits like apple, bananas, grapes, papaya, etc. can be taken for the morning breakfast. Go for seasonal fruit as it is good for health also as well as are prepared under the natural environmental conditions.

4. Do not leave behind the green vegetables at all:

The green vegetables will fulfil all sorts of vitamins as they are very rich in vitamins of all kinds, like vitamin B, vitamin B6, B12 and also folic acid. These vitamins help in focussing, memorizing and improving the health of the brain. The folic acid improves the sense of mental clarity and good well being. The green vegetables besides being good for health, gives a happy notion may be due to the green color as it is considered cool among other colors. When you eat the light green vegetables, you do not feel tired and remain enthusiastic whole day. Also, it is essential to be happy as you never know how long the interview takes and you get famished in between.

5. Healthy fats could also be consumed:

The human brain requires healthy fats, fatty acids to make it function properly. The fats help in building brain tissues which helps in staying focused. Also, it supplies oxygen to the brain, hence protects cell membranes and decreases the chances of deadly diseases. You can get the fatty acids with non vegetarian food like fish, nuts, salmon, olive oil, avocados and even the seeds (soybean).

6. Coffee can be your good partner:

Well, this is known to all that coffee is something which wakes you up and makes you alert in the very first part of the early morning. So, if you are not terribly inclined to have coffee, then it will be better to have a cup of it before going for an interview. It has been said by the researchers that the coffee improves the attention capacity and increases the problem solving skills of the person. Not just this, it also helps in improving the short term memory performances.

7. Low fat yogurt and nuts:

The coffee or tea can be your liquid energy booster, but the healthy yogurt with nuts and wallnuts in it, can be your goopy courage. The yogurt is considered to be the best source of lysine, which is good for the brain and the heart. You can also consider the flavored yogurt as per your taste and wants. Yes, you can even go for the fruity yogurt.

10 Foods to be avoided before an Interview:

Well, there are lot many things to eat but one must make choices among them, to eat as per the event and the situation demands. Although every fruit, food, and vegetable is delicious, yet one should choose as per the situation demands. So, here is the list of some foods that one should avoid eating before going for an interview:

1. White rice not nice before an interview:

White rice contains a high glycemic index in it which makes a person feel sleepy. If you eat another type of rice, you ought not feel lazy and sleepy. So it is better not to eat white rice and eat the brown rice or any other according to the availability in your region.

2. Milk and Cereals:

According to the research reports by the national sleep foundation, the combination of carbohydrates, the tryptophan and the calcium is good to make you feel in the dreamland. But you do not have to travel to the sleepy land else you will be fired from the company during an interview. For an interview, you need to be very active, alert and witty. If you will consume something like, cereals or food which makes you feel dormant, you are likely to lose all the opportunities. So, remember, this must not happen at all.

3. Fruits are good, no doubt, but not banana:

According to the researchers and experts, bananas are no doubt good as it helps in relaxing the overstressed muscles. They also claim that the bananas are rich in magnesium and potassium; but simultaneously contains melatonin, serotonin and others which calms down the brain hormones. On the interview day, it is better to choose some citrus fruit like oranges, apples, grapes as they contain vitamin C that boost up the immune system.

4. Foods that has a bad odor:

Many things you eat are healthy, however, they also have a bad odor, which ultimately makes you smell bad. Just like the onions, garlics or the spicy food can make your mouth smell bad which creates a bad impression on the recruiter and is also not impressive, though. Even if you, eat such food, make sure you chew some fragrant gum or have a mouth freshener, as it helps in fading away the foul smell from the mouth.

5. Mexican food, beans or broccoli should be avoided:

These things make you feel bloated, which is not good for the health of your stomach. Your stomach should be healthy and feel light. Otherwise the consequences could be even worse than thought.

6. The Punjabi food like stuffed paratha:

The stuffed paratha’s are heavy as those are fried in the ghee which itself is a heavy ingredient. Also, they are stuffed with either potatoes, cheese, cauliflower, radish etc, it becomes heavy and is not easily digested. When the food is not digested easily, it makes one feel uncomfortable and drowsy.

7. The lassi (mixture of curd and water):

The Punjabis usually have the habit of having a glass of lassi after having the stuffed pronthas, which is though mouth watering, yet should be avoided before interviews. These things make you feel drowsy and snatches away the morning glory, making you a dormant member among others.

8. Lots and lots of water:

Although its good to keep yourself hydrated, but drinking a whole bottle is not appreciable before the interview. This is because the recruiters will never appreciate if you will excuse yourself everytime for going to the bathroom. So, instead of putting a bad impression, better to drink less water and also before leaving the house, freshen up yourself. It puts a great impression on the recruiters.

9. Sugary or the sticky food:

Do not eat the greasy or the sugary food as the energy sugary food providers gets extinct immediately after its effects wears out. Also the greasy food like the French fries or any other fried food is not good for the healthy living. Not just this, also your resume may get stained with the grease, scenting like a fast food joint.

10. Soup should be secluded:

The soup contains amino acids, which boost the production of melatonin that further enhances the desire to sleep and relax. So, this should be avoided and instead of having soup, you can go for a glass of water which keeps you hydrated whole day.

So, above are some of the foods that one should avoid and the food that one should eat before heading to the interview. Remember, what you eat is reflected in your actions. For example the more heavy food you will eat, the more sleepy and lazy you will feel. You might yawn number of times in front of the recruiters which is not acceptable. So, it is advisable to eat what your body supports and helps bring the confidence.

12 years of Experience within the International BPO/ Operations and Recruitment Areas. Extensive experience in Complete Recruitment Life Cycle - Sourcing, Negotiation and Delivery.
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